The Rho-ROCK system may play an important role in the development of tissue fibrosis, and the Rho-ROCK signaling pathway may be a new therapeutic target for preventing interstitial fibrosis in progressive renal disease.

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Recent studies have suggested that the alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors play important roles in learning and memory. Herein, we describe our research of the structure-activity relationships (SAR) in a series of (S)-spiro[1-azabicyclo[2.2.2]octane-3,5'-oxazolidin]-2'-ones bearing various bicyclic moieties to discover novel alpha7 receptor agonists. Through a number of SAR studies on the series, we have found out that inhibition of CYP 2D6 isozyme, which was a primary obstacle for the previously identified compound, was avoidable by the introduction of bicyclic moieties. Chemical optimization of the series led to the identification of a novel and potent alpha7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor partial agonist 23. This compound not only possessed high binding affinity (K(i) = 3 nmol/L) toward the alpha7 receptor but also showed agonistic activity even at a concentration of 0.1 micromol/L. In addition, compound 23 improved cognition in several rat models, which might suggest the potential of the alpha7 receptor partial agonist for the treatment of neurological disorders including cognitive dysfunction.

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